Dust bag holder for vacuum cleaners



Dec. 14, 1954 A. A. FORSBERG DUST BAG HOLDER FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed May 17, 1951 Unite tates atent C) DUST BAG HOLDER FOR VACUUM =CLEANERS Axel Albert Eorsberg, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Elektrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corpoa My invention relates to vacuum. cleaners and is, par ticularly concerned with .a holder for .dust bags f-the throw away type.

It is desirable .to employ within. a conventional fabric bag of a. vacuum cleaner a dust bag in which dust and dirt collect and which is of the throw away type and formed of light-weight porous material like pape l, for example. In order that such an inner dust bag of the throwaway type will be drawn to its fully expanded position during operation. of the vacuum cleaner when suction is produced by the motor fan unit thereof, it is essential to provide a good seal between the narrow mouth. or open end of {the throw away dust bag and an opening in a vacuum cleaner wall through. which air is drawn into the interior of the cleaner.

it is an object of my invention to provide an improved holder for positioning and sealing a dust bagof the throw away type which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and permits the use of a dust bag which is free of any sealing provisions forming a unitary .part of the bag,

.Another object of my invention is to provide such an improved separate holder which enables ordinary throw away .dust'bagsof proper size and shape to be effectively employed within a .conventional fabric bag, the holder being formed in such a manner that .the mouth end of the dust bag will be properly supported within the casing of the vacuum cleaner and the extreme end portiQn f the mouth end can be conveniently spread over apart of the holder which is maintained in good.conta ct about an opening in a removable wall part of the vacuum cleaner casing.

A further object of my invention is to provide such ,an improved separate holder for a dust bag of the throw away type which is removable from .a casing of a vacuum cleaner independently of an end cover therefor and c operates with such end cover for sealing the mouth or open end of the dust bag about an opening therein and also holds andpositionssuch bag withinthecasing.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the inveption will be pointed out with particularity in the annexed to and forming a part of thisspeci'fication.

.lFor a better understanding of my invention, reference maybe had to thefollowing description taken in con nection'with the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Fig. "l is a side view, partly in section, of a vacuum cleaner embodying my invention;

Fig, 2 isan'enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at-line2'2 of Fig. 3 toillustrate more clearly parts of the'vacuum cleaner shown -in -'Fig. *1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the vacuum cleaner-shown in Fig. 1 with thcend .cover'removed;

Fig. 4is a fragmentary sectionalyiew generally similar 'to Fig. 2illustratinganother embodiment of the inven- .tion;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary'vertical viewtaken at line 55 of Fig. 4 to illustratedetails more clearly; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view gtaken at line 66 ofFig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, the vacuum cleaner which it have shown embodying my invention includes a casing ".10 which receives a conventional filter "bag 11 formed of fabric, such bag at {the opening thereof: having an annular tmetallic reinforcing member "or "ring "12 secured thereto which "is formed to carry ia'res'ilient' gasket "14. A cover 'is provided "for the casing '{1'0 'to' close the open end 2,696,894 Patented Dec. 14, 1954 'ice thereof and also clamp the gasket 14 between the end of the casmgand the cover. Although not shown, the cover 15 may be fixed to the casing 10 with any suitable fastening provisions.

The cover 15 is formed with a central opening 16 hay-- ing a collar or sleeve 17 extending inwardly therefrom, the cover being arranged to receive an end of a suction hose (not shown) adapted to be removably secured to the opening in the cover in any suitable manner. Suitable cleaning appliances are connected to the outer free end of the suction hose through which air is drawn into the interior of the casing 10 by a motor fan unit (not shown) which may be positioned adjacent the filter bag 11.

In recent years it has become prevalent'to employ paper dust bags of the throw away type in vacuum cleaners. Such a paper bag 18, which is enveloped by the conventional fabric bag '11 and protected by the latter, is permeable to air and desirably formed of relatively por ous paper. During operation of the vacuum cleaner, air is drawn into the interior of the casing 10 through the opening 16 in the cover 15. Dust and dirt entrained in the air during a cleaning operation are separated from the air when the latter passes through the paper bag 18, and air free of dust and dirt passes through the fabric bag 11 and flows through the casing and is discharged from the end opposite the cover 15.

in accordance with my invention I provide an improved bridge member or holder 2-0 for the inner paper bag 18, which is independently removable from the casing 1 and cooperates with the cover 15 for effectively positioning and sealing such paper bag about the .opening in the end cover, and also is readily accessible to facilitate the insertionof a clean paper bag in the vacuum cleaner. In Figs. 1 to 3 the holder 20 includes a strap or bridge member 21 having a ring-shaped central portion 22 of annular form and diametrically opposing arms 23 extending outwardly therefrom. As shown in Fig. 3, the outer ends of the arms 23 are formed with angularly bent'ends 24 which form tabs for guiding and positioning the strap 21 within the reinforcing ring 12 of the fabric outer "bag '11.

I prefer to form the strap 21 so that the outer tabs 24 are snugly positioned within the metallic ring 12 while freely movable into and from such ring. In Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the arms 23 are inclined to the ver. tical so that the central ring-shaped portion 22 of strap 21 is disposed in a vertical plane which is spaced from and extendsbeyond-all'parts of the outer'fabric bag 11 including the gasket 14 at the open end thereof. The opening in the ce'ntral ring-shaped portion 22 of strap 21 receives one end of a hollow sleeve 25 having outwardly turned flanges 26 and 27 at opposite ends thereof, and a coil spring 28 under tension is provided about such sleeve which acts between a resilient gasket 29.0f annular form positioned on flange 26 and one side of the strap 211. at

the central portion 22 thereof to draw the flange 27 snugly against the opposite side or face of the strap atsuch central portionf Inn-sing the holder-20 for the inner paperdustbag 18,

v the neck 3% of such a bag is drawn through the hollow sleeve 25 so that anextreme endportion 131' can be s read about the resilient gasket 29 .which maybe formed of rubber. The paper bag 18 is placed withinthe fabricibag' ll, and the holder 20 is positioned at theend of the casing 1'9 with the tabs 24 of strap "21 held and retained in the remforcing ring 12 of the fabric bag. The cover '15 is then mounted on the end of the casing 10 with the collar 17 *at the inner face thereof telescopically fitting within the sleeve member'25 of holder '20. -The.outerdiameter of the collar 17 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sleeve member 25, the :gap therebetween being suflicientto enable the neckportion 30 of the paper vbag -18 tnoass therethrough and snugly'fitbet-ween thesepartsi While the shapeof the resilient gasket 29 and the contour of the inner face of the cover .15 at and about the region of the YCO113I11731C only diagrammatically villustrated{in=the drawing, -it .will be understood that :in practice such-parts are shaped to provide asnug-z fit to {clamp the'end portion 31 :of thepa'per bag-therebetween, nu -fi si e pr moted y e p o n the n nsi2 having adequate "tension to urge the extreme end-portion 31 of the paper bag in good contact with the inner face of the cover 15 when the latter is mounted on the end of the casing 10.

While a paper bag 18 of any desirable shape may be employed within the fabric bag 11, a paper bag of cylindrical shape is preferable because such a bag will be most adaptable within a cylindrical-shaped fabric bag and also be most economical. In such case the open end portion of the paper bag must be reduced in size by forming plaits or folds, like those indicated at 32 in Fig. 3, to provide the neck portion 30 of reduced size to enable the bag to be drawn through the hollow sleeve 25.

In Figs. 4 to 6 I have shown another embodiment of the invention which differs from the embodiment just described in that a bridge member or holder 20a is pivotally mounted within the reinforcing ring 12 of the fabric bag 11. Parts of the holder 20a in Figs. 4 to 6, which are similar to those illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, are referred to by the same reference numerals. The strap 21a of holder 20a is generally similar to the strap 21 of holder 20 in that it also includes a ring-shaped center portion and arms extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom. The arm intended to extend upwardly within the cover 15 is indicated at 23a in Figs. 4 to 6 and differs from the arms 23 in the embodiment first described in that it is not provided with a bent tab 24.

The upper end portion of arm 23a is disposed essentially in a vertical plane in its mounted position, and a fiat leaf spring 33 is fixed thereto by pins or rivets 34, such pins passing through elongated slots 35 in the leaf spring. Relatively small brackets 36 are fixed in spaced apart relation within the reinforcing ring 12 of the fabric bag, such brackets being apertured to receive the end tabs 37 formed at the extreme ends of the leaf spring 33. The leaf spring intermediate the ends thereof is formed with a U-shaped portion 38 which serves as a finger grip and can be grasped to foreshorten the leaf spring and bring the tabs 37 closer together when mounting the holder 20a in position on the brackets 36 and removing the holder therefrom.

In the embodiment of Figs. 4 to 6 the holder 20a is detachably mounted on the ring 12 only at the upper part thereof. Hence, in Figs. 4 to 6 the arm of strap 21a which extends downwardly from the cylindrical center portion may be like the arm 23a and extend to the immediate vicinity of the lower part of ring 12 or may be like the downwardly extending arm 23 in Fig. 2 which is provided with a bent tab 24. In any case it will be understood that the supporting provisions in the embodiment of Figs. 4 to 6 provide a hinge-like connection at the upper part of the ring 12 about which the holder 20a is angularly movable. Hence, while the holder 20a is held in an inclined position in one hand, the other hand can be employed to grasp the finger grip 38 and latch the tabs 37 in the apertured brackets 36, after which the holder 20a can swing downwardly into place with the lower arm of the strap cooperating with the bottom part (if thlelreinforcing ring which is associated with the fabric In view of the foregoing it will now be understood that I have provided an improved holder unit for dust bags of the throw away type in which the mouth or open end of such a bag can be readily passed through the hollow sleeve 25 and spread over the resilient gasket 29 after which the holder unit can be readily positioned at the open end of the casing 10. When it is desired to replace a dust bag 18 after use, the end cover 15 is removed while the holder unit remains positioned at the open end of the casing. The mouth or open end of the dust bag 18 can be closed, as by twisting the same, for example, to prevent any escape of dust and dirt therefrom, and thereafter the holder unit can be readily removed from the casing 10 and the dust bag detached. The strap 21, which serves as a bridge member and extends across the open end of the casing, includes the apertured ringshaped central portion 25 and the pair of substantially flat arms 23 projecting in diametrically opposite directions therefrom. The flat arms 23 serve as a hand grip for conveniently positioning and removing the bridge member 21 on and from the open end of the casing.

The ring-shaped gasket 29 essentially determines the outer diameter of the apertured central portion of the bridge member 21, so that gaps will be provided at both sides of the spaced apart arms 23 about the outer periphcry of the ring-shaped central portion. By providing the bridge member 21 of the character just described, the positioning and removal of the open end or neck portion of the dust bag through and from the apertured central portion 25 is facilitated considerably. Further, when the cover 15 is removed from the casing 10 and a dust bag is to be replaced, portions of the dust bag about the ringshaped central part are accessible by hand through the gaps at each side of the projecting arms 23.

Although I have illustrated and described particular embodiments of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the particular arrangement set forth, and I intend in the following claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an open end, a dust bag which is insertable into said casing at the open end thereof and permeable to air and of the throw away type, a removable cover for closing the open end of said casing, said cover being formed with an opening through which air having dust entrained therein is adapted to pass into said bag, a member independent of and separable from said cover and said bag, said member comprising means including a hollow sleeve through which the open end portion of said bag passes and a sealing gasket carried by such sleeve and over which the portion of said bag emerging from said sleeve is folded, spring means on said member which is arranged to bias said sealing gasket toward the inside of said cover to maintain the folded portion of said bag in sealing relation with the inside of said cover about the region of the opening therein, and means for positioning said member at the open end of said casing.

2. in a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an open end, a dust bag which is insertable into said casing at the open end thereof and permeable to air and of the throw away type, a removable cover for closing the open end of said casing, said cover being formed with an opening through which air having dust entrained therein is adapted to pass into said bag, a member independent of and separable from said cover and said bag, said member being formed to bridge and extend across the open end of said casing and including a hollow sleeve through which the open end portion of said bag passes and a sealing gasket carried by said sleeve and over which the portion of said bag emerging from said sleeve is folded, said sleeve being movable on said member, spring means on said member to bias said sleeve and sealing gasket thereon in one direction toward said cover to maintain the folded portion of said bag in sealing relation with the inside of said cover about the region of the opening therein, said cover tending to move said sleeve in the opposite direction against the tension of said spring means when positioned on said casing to close the open end thereof, and means for positioning said member at the open end of said casing.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an open end, an open-ended dust bag which is insertable into the casing at the open end thereof and permeable to air and of the throw-away type, a removable cover for closing the open end of the casing, the cover being formed with an opening through which dust laden air is adapted to pass into the bag, a bridge member at the open end of the casing which is independent of and separable from the cover and the bag and includes a part of annular form for holding the open end of the bag in sealing relation with the inside of the cover about the region of the opening therein, the open end of the bag extending through said annular-shaped part when in said sealing relation, said bridge member extending across the open end of the casing and including spaced apart arms having gaps therebetween about the outer periphery of said annular-shaped part, means at the open end of the casing for positioning said bridge member thereon, said arms projecting radially outward from said annular-shaped part to said last-mentioned positioning means, said spaced apart arms providing a hand grip to facilitate inserting and withdrawing the open end of the dust bag through and from said annular-shaped part, and for conveniently handling said bridge member when positioning and removing said member on and from the open end of the casing.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing having an open end, a dust bag which is insertable into said casing at the open end thereof and permeable to air and of the throw away type, a removable cover for closing the open end of said casing, said cover being formed with an opening through which air having dust entrained therein is adapted to pass into said bag, a member which is independent of and separable from said cover and said bag and includes a part for holding the open end of said bag in sealing relation with the inside of said cover about the region of the opening therein, said member being formed to bridge and extend across the open end of said casing and provide gaps at which regions said dust bag is accessible when said cover is removed, and means for positioning said member at the open end of said casing including an element of annular form and structure for pivotally mounting said member on said element.

5. In a suction cleaner, a casing having an open end, an open-ended dust bag which is permeable to air and of the throw-away type and insertable into the casing at the open end thereof, a removable cover for closing the open end of the casing, the cover having an opening through which dust laden air is adapted to be drawn into the bag, a bridge member within the cover at the open end of said casing, the cover being removable from the open end of the casing independently of said bridge member and the latter also being removable from the open end of the casing, said bridge member including an apertured ring-shaped portion and substantially fiat arms having gaps at both sides thereof about the outer periphery of said ring-shaped portion, a ring-shaped resilient gasket carried by said ring-shaped portion and forming a part thereof, said gasket essentially determining the outer diameter of said ring-shaped portion and serving to maintain the bag in sealing relation with the inside of the cover about the opening therein, and means at the open end of the casing for positioning said bridge member thereon, said arms projecting in diametrically opposite directions from said ring-shaped portion to said last-mentioned positioning means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,022,249 Lofgren Nov. 26, 1935 2,460,851 Sheppard Feb. 8, 1949 2,514,280 Hammell July 4, 1950 2,539,195 Lang Jan. 23, 1951 2,591,382 Smith Apr. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 387,245 Great Britain Feb. 2, 1933 802,641 France June 13, 1936 

